Memorial Day -- Time for Summer Play!

By Chris DanielsMay 19th, 2013

Memorial Day Weekend--three words that conjure images of summer fun, of long vacation days spent in sunshine and fresh air, the extended hours of all the shopping you could want, great summer foods and a wide variety of shows and parties to entertain your evenings! Provincetown has perfected the art of summer play, and Memorial Day weekend is just the beginning of the season that most of us love best.

Art's Dune Tours will take you to the natural beauty of the Cape Cod National Seashore with dune tours, sunset beach tours and clambakes for you or a group of your friends.

The Post Office Café and Cabaret will play host to comics Poppy Champlin and Suzanne Westenhoefer from May 24-27th. Poppy performs Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7:30 pm, followed by Suzanne at 9 pm. On Monday the 27th, Poppy has a 2:30 pm show, with Suzanne at 4 pm. Down the street at the Crown and Anchor, they have a packed schedule of parties and performances by entertainers such as comedian Kate Clinton offering up her "Sis-Boom-Bah Tour", drag favorite Miss Richfield 1981 doing her new "Made in China" show, and All the King's Men, the multi-award winning, all female, gender-bending comic performance troupe from Boston. The A-House will offer dance parties all weekend, as well.

Fans of the outdoors can enjoy whale watch tours once again, which leave from both MacMillan and the Fisherman's Piers. Boats depart several times a day, and provide a great opportunity to see humpbacks feeding and at play as well as other sea life which can include dolphins and seals! If you don't have good sea legs, Art's Dune Tours will take you to the natural beauty of the Cape Cod National Seashore with dune tours, sunset beach tours and clambakes for you or a group of your friends. Rather explore on your own? Then head over to Gale Force Bikes, Provincetown Bikes or Arnold's Bike Shop and rent any of a variety of bicycles, starting at $12 for the first two hours, and pedal your way through the many bike trails through our lovely countryside!

Art aficionados have a choice of two museums and dozens of galleries to visit, many exhibiting the variety of works available from local artists, while sport fishermen can choose from a number of charters operating from MacMillan Pier, including Beth Ann Charters, Cee Jay Fishing Parties, and Sea Salt Charters, among others. For the kayaker, Venture Athletics is the place to go if you want to paddle the harbor but don't want to drag a kayak or canoe from home.

Shopping addicts will find plenty of temptations including new shops which include:http://botanica-pt.com/ Botanica, a lovely boutique offering gifts for your home and garden, edible treats, some whimsical pet items, and a lovely line of Irish cologne called Inis (rhymes with Guiness) which I bought during my very first visit; Vintage in Vogue, a gem of a shop in Whaler's Wharf which carries clothing and accessories "from the 1870s to the 1970s"; and Mabel D. Orr, a new designer resale boutique selling clothing for "women of all sizes."

In addition to all the established dining options in town, there are two newcomers this year. The first is The Canteen, a unique take on the classic New England summer shack, which will offer perfected versions of Cape Cod favorites like lobster rolls, fish and chips, chowders, and a raw bar, as well as other classics including salads, fritters, grilled seafood, house-made sausages, house-cured fish, and desserts like apple pie ice cream sundaes. Another new taste sensation can be found in the Aquarium Marketplace, called Uma Loucura, which offers authentic Brazilian appetizers, entrees, salads and sweets. Both new restaurants will be open for lunch and dinner.

Come on down and celebrate the beginning of summer with us!

Chris Daniels is a writer, photographer and office-guru-about-town who shares her life with a bossy cat and “Damon, the Dog With the Toy”

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